Stingrays now top pick

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG will carry the weight of premiership favouritism into the second week of the TAC Cup finals after smashing Oakleigh by 64 points at Visy Park on Saturday.
The minor premiers, the Stingrays, made the loudest statement of the six-game weekend showcase, trouncing the highly rated Chargers to claim their fifth straight finals victory at the venue.
Rays coach Graeme Yeats couldn’t have wished for a more complete performance. In fact, his main concern was to manage the inevitable hype that followed the win.
“We were rapt with the effort from everyone, but (the Chargers) lost a couple of players (to injury) before the game and had a six-day turnaround, so I didn’t think they were anywhere near their best,” Yeats said.
“We knew we had to come at them really hard, put pressure on and challenge them both sides of the ball, and we were able to do that.”
That and a fair bit more, it must be said.
The Rays looked at ease immediately on the expansive Visy Park surface, with representative stars Luke Parker, Adam Treloar and Mitch Hallahan combining to produce the opening goal five minutes into the match.
Oakleigh steadied to kick three in a row midway through the term, but Dandenong upped the ante again and thoroughly deserved its 15-point quarter-time lead.
Intelligent defenders Andrew McInnes and Jake Batchelor controlled the game brilliantly in first half, while key forward Tom Lynch was looking increasingly dangerous as the Rays set up a 26-point half-time buffer.
A miraculous snap goal from Oakleigh’s Alex Johnson sparked a Chargers run of quick majors, bringing them within seven points just eight minutes into the third term.
But the Rays’ response was swift and emphatic. Parker cleared the ball from the centre bounce and fellow skipper Hallahan produced the crucial answering goal.
The leaders led and their teammates followed. Tom Curren, Mitch Gent and Dylan Shiel lifted their output in the middle while Lynch and Arryn Siposs stood tall in attack.
A contested mark and perfect conversion from Siposs – his second of the quarter – gave Dandenong a 39-point lead late in the term, and it seemed the Oakleigh charge had been halted.
Indeed, the final quarter was a procession from the moment Parker goaled 15 seconds in.
Yeats said the third-quarter stand was a defining moment for his team.
“I thought it was gonna be up for grabs from that point on, but it was just incredible, the effort in the next 10 minutes to control the game and take the initiative back,” he said.
“We kicked four in a row and really killed the game.”
The Rays had winners on every line.
Lynch (three goals), Buchan (three), Hallahan (three) and Siposs (two) formed a dangerous attacking quartet, while ruck/forward Todd Elton worked hard around the ground.
Parker (25 disposals), Shiel (25), Curren (18), Gent (18), Nathan Allen (25) and Brad Tagg (18) all found plenty of footy through the middle.
Batchelor (21) worked both ways from half-back, and McInnes was among his side’s best players before leaving the ground with a hamstring twinge late in the second term.
Yeats expects his vice-captain and best defender to miss Saturday’s elimination final clash with North Ballarat, but he should be ready to return the following week if required.
Damaging utility Jarryd Amalfi (15) showed against the Chargers that he is a ready-made replacement for that role.
North Ballarat finished the home-and-away season in ninth place and progressed via a 100-point drubbing of the Murray Bushrangers on Saturday.
Dandenong will still start as an overwhelming favourite in the second of four elimination finals, which will be played from 2.30pm at Visy Park.